Weekly Menu: Now With Soy!
For the past six months Thomas and I have been on a rather difficult diet: no soy, no eggs, no garlic, no pepper, no sesame, and no cantaloupe. Thomas’ issue with soy is an intolerance, not an allergy. Intolerances are more commonly outgrown than allergies and there is some evidence that after food allergens are eliminated intolerances improve. After nearly 6 months on an allergy-free diet we decided to try to introduce soy back into my diet and add it to Thomas’ diet. Over the past month we have been gradually incorporating soy: starting with trace amounts in the form of soy lecithin (a common food additive) and culminating with a tofu and veggie stir-fry. I am thrilled to report that there have been no problems and we can now remove one our major dietary restrictions.
That said, I don’t believe that soy is a “miracle food” and there is evidence that excessive consumption of soy can have negative health consequences. The experience of eliminating soy has also taught me how disturbing our industrial food system is: soy is in a huge amount of processed foods: chocolate, baked goods, ice cream, and snack foods. From a health or taste standpoint, there is no reason that soy is present in any of those foods and we certainly will not return to purchasing these foods now that we have added soy back into our diets. We will be consuming soy in moderation and in it’s simpler forms e.g., tofu and miso as opposed faux foods such as to soy bacon or “facon”. As you can see from this week’s menu I am, however, very much looking forward to partaking of the soybean once again.
Thursday:
- Pupusas and lemonade at the farmer’s market, served in our own containers (tomorrow I’ll post our change of the week: no more takeout containers)
Friday:
- Three cheese, roasted pepper, and basil pizza
- We were supposed to eat this Wednesday night, however, Jeff was sick so we just munched on what we already had in the fridge.
Saturday:
- Summer Birthday Party at Jeff’s parents
- We’ll be bringing black bean burgers, corn (if available at the farmer’s market), and dessert (most likely a cherry crisp and a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting).
Sunday:
- Breakfast for dinner!
- Scrambled tofu (A new recipe I am trying)
- Skillet roasted potatoes
- Toast (with bread from the book and homemade strawberry jam)
Monday
- Spaghetti with homemade marinara sauce, tomatoes, and parmesan cheese
Tuesday
- Another new recipe: Ceylon style tofu curry
Wednesday
- Black bean soup
- Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and avocado salad
- Cornbread
- This is one of my favorite meals and I will make a quadruple batch to freeze in Pyrex bowls for a quick lunch or dinner